This is an attractive, evergreen small tree that grows in the shade. The flowers bloom from late winter to spring, and male and female flowers are borne separately on the same tree. This is called a "monoecious" situation. The male flowers are held in short heads in the axils of the leaves and the female are usually single or occasionally grouped. The fruit is a small brown capsule and holds shiny black seeds. Fruit ripens from late summer to early winter. Once ripe, the fruit splits to release the seeds. It is used for foral hedging. The wood is used for clay-modeling tools and musical instruments. An ideal plant for containers. This specie is named for Dr Peter MacOwan (1830-1901) an academic, plant collector and professor who moved to South Africa for health reasons. He was, in 1869 the director of the Cape Town Botanical Gardens and curator of the Cape Government Herbarium.